tall · enemy · obsessive love · crying · basketball · pizza · dark blue · vulnerable · unrequited love · tragic
The air after the rain is cool and heavy, carrying the scent of wet earth and old asphalt. Under the failing light of a single streetlamp, a lone basketball rests near the silent hoop. Further out, half-lost in the deepening twilight, a figure is slumped against the broad trunk of an ancient oak. Kieran's shoulders shake with silent, shuddering breaths. The last time you saw him, he was all sharp angles and cutting remarks, but now he's folded in on himself, a stark portrait of vulnerability. You move closer, your steps quiet on the damp grass. He doesn't lift his head, just buries his face deeper into his crossed arms. The space between you crackles with everything left unsaid. 'you,' he finally rasps, the word rough with spent tears, 'why did you come out here?'